When speaking at the School on May 8, Congressman Cummings asked for our support to help provide summer jobs for city teenagers. I am writing with a brief update on new opportunities for students, faculty and staff to help.

For students: SOURCE is asking for help to Expand the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development’s 2015 YouthWorks Summer Jobs Program. There is a critical need for volunteers starting over the next few weeks. The Mayor's Office of Employment Development will need ALL of the help they can get. Office work will include calling employers to verify placements, calling students to confirm preferences, coordinating youth files to confirm acceptance and calling interested employers to provide additional information about the YouthWorks program. The point of contact is Michelle Miles: mthompson@oedworks.com or 410-396-6722Sign up here to help MOED office staff ramp up job placement opportunities for youth this summer.

For faculty and staff: There are new opportunities to provide a summer job for a city high school student from June 22 to July 24 and from July 27 through August 21. Johns Hopkins covers the cost – you provide the experience! The University is expanding this program for this summer. I will separately email staff and faculty with the details.

If you are in need of inspiration, it’s still possible to watch segments of the #EngageBaltimore event on May 8 one at a time here. Hundreds have watched online so far.

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Small grants available! The Urban Health Institute is now accepting applications for partnerships between the community and Johns Hopkins faculty and students to advance the health and wellbeing of the residents of Baltimore. Proposals may focus on research or program development. Priority will be given to projects that focus upon community-level trauma and approaches to creating trauma-informed systems. Information sessions will be held in the UHI conference room at 2013 E. Monument Street on Wednesday, May 27 from 5-6 p.m. and Wednesday, June 10 from noon to 1 p.m. For more information or to RSVP for one of the information sessions, contact UHI Program Director Amy Gawad at agawad1@jhu.edu or 410-502-7473.

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A huge thank you to SOURCE for their amazing work in sustaining community engagement efforts for students year-round. For real-time opportunities to volunteer, check out the SOURCE Facebook page and make sure to stay connected: SOURCE@jhu.edu, 410-955-3880.

East Baltimore Neighborhood Cleanups with Living Classrooms Foundation (Wednesday evenings)

To show their continuing support for the students, families, and neighborhoods they serve, SOURCE partner The Living Classrooms Foundation will be organizing a series of neighborhood cleanups throughout their East Baltimore Children's Target Investment Zone. Cleanups will be the second and last Wednesdays of the month from 5 - 6:30 p.m. at rotating locations, and are a great opportunity for volunteers to meet each other and the larger community. Cleanups will be the second and last Wednesdays of the month: May 27th, June 10th, June 24th, July 8th, July 29th, August 12th, August 26th, September 9th, and September 30th. To sign up, register online or email Rmeyer@livingclassrooms.org.

Be a Guest Reader this Summer for East Baltimore Youth through Elev8 Baltimore

SOURCE partner Elev8 Baltimore is working this summer with the Children’s Defense Fund’s Freedom Schools program from June 29 to July 30 to help engage students in learning throughout the year. You are invited to be a special guest to read aloud to the students during Harambee!, a lively and spirited welcoming session aimed at getting young people excited about reading. Guest readers spend about one hour at one of their three schools here in East Baltimore, arriving about 8:15 a.m. on a day that is convenient for you. Reading sessions last until about 9:30 a.m. Elev8 provides books to be read. Just bring yourself and your love for reading! Sign up here.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Chesapeake is looking for mentors to join their Positive Pathways Program: Baltimore (P3B). Mentors are men and women committed to supporting the development of youth who have been, or at-risk of being, involved in the juvenile justice system. P3B Mentors serve as personal coaches/mentors assisting in the development of social, ethical, emotional and cognitive competencies needed to achieve success in college and/or career environments. P3B mentors serve a minimum of one year as a mentor. Youth participating in P3B are young men and women ages 14-18 residing in Baltimore City, Baltimore County or Harford County who have had contact with the Juvenile Justice System and are interested in developing their leadership skills in preparation for furthering their education and/or obtaining a job. Becoming a P3B Mentor is easy. Contact Courtney Harris, P3B Team Lead at 410-856-1514 or visit their website at biglittle.org to complete a volunteer application.